By Sabiha Mank
Arts and Culture Correspondent
India celebrated the start of its 68th year of independence from British rule on the 15th of August. India became a sovereign state in 1947 following an Independence Movement which saw largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress (NIC). Indian independence coincided with the partition of the country in which the British Indian Empire was divided along religious lines into India and Pakistan.
On the 15th of August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India and raised the Indian national flag above the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi. On each subsequent Independence Day following that, the Prime Minister has raised the flag and given a speech.
This year, newly appointed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the first PM to be born after the independence of India, addressed the nation from the 17th Century Red Fort in Delhi. Modi chose not to read from a script and also did not stand behind a bullet-proof screen for the first time in many years. The Prime Minister reminded the nation of their responsibility to raise their sons well: “Today, as we hear about the incidents of rapes, our head hangs in shame,” Modi said. “I want to ask parents, when your daughter turns 10 or 12 years old, you ask: ‘Where are you going? When will you return?’ Do parents dare to ask their sons: ‘Where are you going? Why are you going? Who are your friends?’ After all, the rapist is also someone’s son. If only parents would decide to put as many restrictions on their sons as they do on their own daughters.” He also asked Indian families to “stop killing daughters in the womb” in their desire for sons, rebuking them for the growing imbalance in the country’s sex ratio.
To celebrate Indian Independence Day in Birmingham, local artists Alexandria Robinson-Sutherland and Lexx Carby of Uneek Walls created an edible flag with Indian restaurant Itihaas. They adorned a four-foot canvas with turmeric, basmati rice and coriander leaves to create an edible flag to mark the occasion.
Independence Day was also celebrated around the country. The Indian Association of Newcastle hosted a variety show with cultural performances by the Hunter’s Indian community and local dance schools, and concluded with a Bollywood style open dance floor. The Indian community in Wales also marked Independence Day by raising the Indian flag at Cardiff’s Mansion House.
